WTLV - News Operation

News Operation

WJXX is the only television station in Jacksonville to have a weeknight 7 p.m. newscast known as First Coast News at 7 and airs Good Morning Jacksonville Sunday as well. In addition to their main studios, WTLV and WJXX operate a "Southern Bureau" that covers St. Johns, Clay, and Putnam Counties. WJXX and WTLV operate their own weather radar. It is located next to WTLV's transmitter. They also broadcast a weather radar that is operated by the National Weather Service and is located at its Local Forecast Office near Jacksonville International Airport.

WTLV's newscasts, which were known as 12 News until the merger with WJXX in 1999, have always had tough competition with rival station WJXT in the ratings. As a CBS affiliate, WJXT had a strong lead in the number of households viewing its newscasts. However, once WTLV and WJXX merged, the gap slowly closed to create tough competition in the Jacksonville market. In the May 2007 Nielsen ratings, WTLV and WJXX had a powerful lead. They won the weekday morning, noon, 5:30, 6, and 11 p.m. slots. During the 11 p.m. slot, more people watched WTLV and WJXX than any other local station combined. The 5 p.m. slot went to WJXT because of the powerful lead-in, The Oprah Winfrey Show However, six months later during the November 2007 Nielsen Ratings, WTLV and WJXX only won the weekday morning, noon, and 11 p.m. news slot. The 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m. slots went to WJXT.

Early 2006 marked a significant transition period for First Coast News. Alan Gionet had been the 5, 6, and 11 p.m. anchor for eight years, and his return to the local CBS station in Denver left the station with an opening in those slots. Gionet announced his departure in October 2005 and was hired by KCNC-TV in November 2005; he left in March 2006. Ken Tonning, general manager of First Coast News, said he received hundreds of applications for the position and had also considered current on-air anchors and reporters. Seven potential applicants were brought in and filmed with Jeannie Blaylock (anchor of the 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts) and Donna Hicken (anchor of the 11 p.m. newscast). Focus groups were then brought in to critique each one. On March 28, 2006, the station announced that Shannon Ogden, anchor of Good Morning Live on New England Cable News (NECN) in Boston, would replace Gionet. During the tenure between Gionet's departure and Ogden's arrival, First Coast News reporter Kyle Meenan anchored with Blaylock and Hicken. Ogden started on April 10, 2006.

On September 10, 2007, First Coast News discontinued its simulcast of the 5 and 5:30 p.m. weekday broadcasts on WJXX. The Ellen DeGeneres Show replaced the broadcasts at 5 p.m. on WJXX instead. Since NBC's Today expanded to four hours, the station moved Live with Regis and Kelly, which had previously aired at 10 a.m. on WTLV, to WJXX at 9 a.m. Divorce Court was also moved from WJXX (where it had aired at noon) to 2 p.m. on WTLV. Joy Purdy (who previously worked at WFOR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Miami) also debuted as the new anchor of First Coast News at 7. Weeks later, on October 29, 2007, First Coast News again debuted new graphics in time for the November sweeps. Along with new graphics, Donna Hicken officially identified herself on-air as Donna Deegan. The NBC 12 logo also had changed for the first time since the 1980s. The older logo, a bold-italic, retro 12, was replaced with a non-italic staggered version of the 12 logo.

The May 2008 Nielsen Ratings did not bring the former glory First Coast News had seen before. The weekday morning, noon, 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m. slots went to WJXT, making it the number-one station in the Jacksonville market. WTLV and WJXX won only won slot: 11 p.m. First Coast News remains the second-most-watched television news organization in Jacksonville, behind WJXT but ahead of both WAWS and WTEV-TV.

In mid-2008, First Coast News began a "Weather Call" service that, by default, informs viewers via telephone of severe weather in their area. The service, which utilizes National Weather Service data to place the call, requires a paid subscription. On October 23, 2008, First Coast News debuted new graphics and music, the same standardized packages as on every other Gannett television station. The new uniformed graphics were created by G3 (or the Gannett Graphics Group) based near sister station KUSA-TV in Denver; the music was composed by Rampage Music New York.

In January 2009, First Coast News fired weekend meteorologist Dave Vanore. Michelle Jacobs returned to First Coast News to anchor weather and traffic in the mornings. The entire weather team shifted, with Steve Smith moving from mornings to 7 p.m. weekdays, and Mark Collins moving to weekend newscasts. In July 2009, First Coast News yet again shuffled anchors around. Joy Purdy and Deanna Fene departed First Coast News at 7, with Purdy switching places with Patty Crosby and joining Phil Amato on Good Morning Jacksonville, and Fene replacing departing Victor Blackwell on weekend evenings. Crosby moved to 7 p.m. broadcasts anchoring news, with Steve Smith anchoring weather, and Dan Hicken anchoring sports. Corrine Hautala was hired to anchor weekend morning newscasts.

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